Workers' Compensation News

Athletes meeting U.S. Olympic Committee or Canadian Olympic Committee criteria to qualify as amateurs would be exempt from workers’ compensation coverage and other labor law protections, under a bill the Oregon House of Representatives passed Tuesday.
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The Utah House of Representatives passed a bill that would authorize a $5,000 fine for employers that interfere with an employee’s ability to file a workers’ compensation claim or retaliate against those who file claims.
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In a landmark decision in the work-safety arena, the California Supreme Court has upheld the right of prosecutors to seek civil penalties under unfair competition statutes against employers who violate work-safety statutes.
The high court’s decision in ...Read More

The Nevada Workers’ Compensation Section gave notice Friday that it is changing the way it handles D-35 forms, which are used to request a rotating rating physician or chiropractor, beginning Feb. 12.
As of that date, D-35 forms from attorneys must be accompanied by a written and si...Read More

Institutes of higher education in Idaho would not be required to carry workers’ compensation coverage for work experience students who are covered by an employer’s policy, under a bill the state House of Representatives unanimously approved.
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The Kansas House of Representatives’ Committee on Insurance plans to hold a hearing today on a bill that sets guidelines for what happens to an employer’s premium when an employee is involved in a car crash.
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The Arizona House of Representatives unanimously passed a bill that would clarify that workers’ compensation carriers are prohibited from applying a deviation and a scheduled rating to the same insured risk.
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Even though there was no definitive evidence that Gale Askins’ irregular heartbeat caused her on-the-job fall, the Arkansas Supreme Court affirmed an administrative law judge’s decision to deny her benefits because her medical history supported the notion that the fall and arrhythmia ...Read More

A Seattle hotel owner faces $355,000 in fines for using untrained workers to remove asbestos and not informing them about the hazardous materials they were handling, the Washington state Department of Labor and Industries ...Read More

Today's Round Up

08/15/2018 |
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Rick Ferguson is the new manager and chief executive officer of the Idaho State Insurance Fund, according to the latest newsletter from the American Association of State Compensation Insurance Funds.
Rick Ferguson
Ferguson has more than 25 years of experience in the insurance industry, according to AASCIF, including 17 years as head of the Idaho Counties Risk Management Program.
His experience with ICRMP, as well as private sector experience with Aetna and Travelers, gives Ferguson a deep understanding of the state’s insurance requirements and culture, the association said.
Ferguso...
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08/15/2018 |
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A Rochester woman must repay $2,400 in workers' compensation benefits after she forged her deceased mom's signature on checks and kept the money for herself, New York authorities said.
Devon Lloyd-Fountain, 45, was sentenced to three years' probation and full restitution. She pleaded guilty to petit larceny in defrauding the workers' compensation system, the New York State Inspector General's Office said in a statement.
An investigation by the office found that Lloyd-Fountain cashed eight benefits checks mailed to her mother, after her mother died in 2015. The woman ...
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08/15/2018 |
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A member of the El Cajon City Council who is running for re-election is serving probation after being convicted in 2015 of failing to provide workers’ compensation insurance for employees, and violating a stop-work order, the online edition of East County Magazine reported.
Bessmon “Ben” Kalasho
Bessmon “Ben” Kalasho will remain on probation until Oct. 1, the news service reported. He has pulled paperwork to run for re-election in November.
The news service said San Diego County Superior Court records show that Kalasho pleaded guilty to both charges on O...
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08/14/2018 |
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| 43 min read

Budget cuts and staffing shortfalls have left the Virgin Islands Department of Labor owing more than $12 million to workers' compensation medical providers, department officials told legislative panel this week.
Even if the department had more staff, it still does not have the money to settle its payables, commissioner nominee Averil George said. The workers’ compensation premiums that companies pay the department have not kept pace with benefits costs, according to a report in the St. John Source news site.
Legislator Kurt Vialet (D-STX) said until statutes are ame...
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08/14/2018 |
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| 21 min read

The Karuk Tribe signed an amended gaming compact with California Gov. Jerry Brown that updated the workers’ compensation requirements for employees at the Rain Rock Casino in Yreka, according to a report by the Times-Standard.
The amended compact requires the tribe to consent to the jurisdiction of the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board. Alternatively, the tribe could create its own workers’ compensation system providing similar coverage.
Any comp system the tribe creates would have to provide up to $10,000 of medical treatment for an alleged injury until the claim is acce...
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